


King of the Strays

by junko



Series: Tag, You're It... [6]
Category: Gangsta. (Manga)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Canon-Typical Violence, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drugs, M/M, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 02:33:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4589742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nic is called into action, Worick is left on his own with Dr. Theo. Mistakes are made.  Things go awry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	King of the Strays

Worick started to get up to follow Nic out, but then sank back to the couch. What was he going to do to help? Nic was shouldering on his jacket and had his katana in hand; whoever was causing trouble downstairs was already in a world of hurt. 

Anything Worick tried to do would just be in the way, useless. There was really only one thing he was good at. When the door shut, he glanced over to the corner. Putting on a broad, lascivious smile that came so much more easily with Nic gone, Worick said: “I guess it’s just you and me now, doc.” 

“You’re not going after your friend?” Theo asked from the darkness.

“Nah,” Worick said, stretching out, deliberately showing off his body. “Nic can take of himself.” Standing up, he walked over to kneel down where Theo had his pants down and his hands on his cock. Worick glanced up from that position and gave his best flirt: “What about you? I bet you could use a little help. We can’t leave you unsatisfied, can we?”

“Oh. Well, I’m not sure… I…. This isn’t really my sort of--” Theo’s voice cut off in a choke when Worick gave the top an expert open-mouthed lick. “Oh. Oh, god.”

Then, Worick got down to a business he knew very well.

#

Big Mama met Nic on the landing of the big open staircase. He was grateful she just started briefing him, so he didn’t have to ask. “I should call the Guild,” she said, biting her painted lips. “I hate calling in those freaks, but it’s a bunch of those damn free-range Tags thinking they can just crash the party because one of them is C rank. Fucking animals. They took out my front door men. Now they might have a weapon. You probably shouldn’t get involved,” she said, touching Nic’s arm tenderly. “You could really get hurt.”

Nic brushed off her concern. “ **nO GuiLd. i gOT thiS**.”

With that, he leaped over the banister. He hit the floor hard. Landing right in front of one of the troublemakers, Nic stood up slowly. The big guy glared at him, though he was smart enough, at least, to look a little surprised to find Nic suddenly there. 

There were three of them, all men. The guy Nic landed in front of had his arm wrapped around one of the girls in almost a choke hold, except one of his hands cupped the woman’s breast underneath her dress. The guy was moderately built, but solid. Nic figured him to be a brawler, given the way his nose bent and flattened. A bright yellow Mohawk stuck up on his head like a plume. His tag was out and visible. He wore no shirt, just a pair of ratty trousers, leather suspenders, and a thick, studded dog collar. 

It was a look.

Nic could tell which two were with Mohawk because they left the ladies they’d been harassing and stepped closer to their friend, as though to cover his back. And, the tags, of course. Though one of them appeared to consider his tags a tiara, as he wore them like a crown in his shaggy reddish hair. He was quickly stuffing his dick back into his pants. The other one was much darker and younger than the other two, looked vaguely underfed, and was missing his front tooth.

Mama had called them ‘free range,’ but they were just strays.

With a tip of his head, Nic gestured toward the door. He hoped they’d take the hint. He had no interest in fighting them unless he had to. He was ready, though, on the way down to meet Mama, he’d chewed down a couple of extra Celebrer from the stash he had in his jacket pocket.

Of course Mohawk guy just laughed, “You’re tiny! You’re adorable with your cute little samurai toy! What is someone like you going to do against someone like me, Normal?”

Oh. Right. Nic had forgotten that his own tags were tucked into his back pocket. He reached for them now. He dangled them in his fist and smiled, “ **kICk yOuR aSS**.”

Mohawk’s buddies exchanged looks. Tiara looked ready to bolt. Missing Tooth said, “A/0! Shit, dude, you’re only C/4. We should bail.”

“What did I tell you? C/4. That’s an explosive,” Mohawk said. 

Nic rolled his eyes at the pun. 

Honestly, Nic kind of liked these guys, but he needed to hurry them out the door. Too long a confrontation and other people might panic and get involved. That was when accidents happened and blood got spilled. None of these strays had any visible weapons, but it would only take one gun to tip the balance. Nic was pretty sure Mama’s regular bouncers who were still upright were already reaching for theirs. So, Nic tried to catch the girl’s eye to let her know not to freak out, but she was apparently screaming her head off. Well, Mohawk would have to let her go to fight. 

Pushing off with hyped-up reflexes, Nic jumped into a flip-spin. He drew the katana mid-air, sliced the tip off the yellow Mohawk, and landed on the other side of the guy. C/4 might be slower, but that just meant that Nic was ready when Mohawk turned to try to punch him. He dodged under the punch and kicked up with his foot. His boot connected to jaw, hard.

Mohawk dropped like a stone.

The other two ran for the door, abandoning their buddy. Nic let out a sigh Sheathing his katana, he tucked it into the belt loop he’d modified to hold it. Then, he reached down and grabbed Mohawk’s suspenders in his fist. Nic hauled Mohawk toward the door intending to dump him in the alley. 

Nic was only halfway to there when Big Mama blocked his way. She did not look happy. Nic wanted to point out that there was almost no blood, just a clump of hair to clean up, and none of the girls were hurt. But, he doubted she’d listen. He dropped Mohawk unceremoniously. While she glared at him, he took the time put the tags around his neck properly.

“You know it’s illegal to go around masquerading as a human being,” she said with a curl of her lip.

“ **LAsT tiMe i CHeckEd, sO is pROstItUtiON**.”

She looked taken aback for a moment, but then she tipped her head back and laughed. “Well, you got me there, Tag,” she said. “But take the trash out and never darken my door again, you hear me?”

Glancing down at the guy, Nic knew Mohawk wasn’t unconscious, merely stunned. Any minute, he’d get his breath back and probably be plenty pissed off. Catching Big Mama’s eye, Nic shook his head. She didn’t want him here, fine. But that meant she had to take care of her own ‘trash.’

He started for the door, but Big Mama caught his arm. She must have realized Mohawk was still a danger, too, because she changed her tune. “Okay, wait,” she said. “Maybe I was a bit hasty. You’re not like the others. You’re useful.” Her fingers curled around his tag, bringing them close for inspection. “Oh, look at you, King of the Strays. I’m surprised the Guild let you out without a contract, but their loss is my gain. I was going to invest in a new cathouse, but something like you might be worth postponing. My boss won't like it, but I could use decent protection.”

Nic closed his hand around hers and gently unwound her fingers from his tags. “ **nO**.”

“No?” she snatched her hand away from his, like she found his touch dirty.

“ **nO THanK yOU, mA’AM**.”

With that, he walked out the door. 

#

Worick rarely misread people, but Dr. Theo had been completely freaked out by the blowjob. Not so much that he didn’t wait until everything had reached a crescendo, but then, all of a sudden, he got completely weird, threw a wad of money in Worick’s direction and bolted for the door like a jackrabbit.

It had damn near been the strangest trick he’d ever pulled. 

But, then again this whole night had been off-kilter. So now Worick sat on the floor, smoking his last cigarette, un-crumpling bills, and counting them up. 

There was a soft rap on the door before Harper stuck her head in. He smiled up at her, “Hey, thanks for the loan of the room, I was just figuring out how much--”

“Did you know that your boyfriend is a Tag?”

The fight must have turned violent. It was hard not to guess about Nic once you’d seen him in action. 

Worick counted out an extra fifty and set it in the pile he’d left on Harper’s end table. With a faux bashful schoolboy rub of the back of his head, Worick smiled, “Uh, well, which do you think would get me in the least trouble with Mama, yes or no?”

She laughed at him. “She’s going to kill you either way.”

“Then yes, I’ve known all along,” Worick said. Pulling himself up to his feet, he jammed the rest of the cash into his pants’ pocket. “I bet he made quick work of the trouble, though.”

She nodded distractedly. “Big Mama is looking for you. You should probably make tracks.”

Tracks? Nobody living in the brothel had any other place to go, or they’d be there. Suggesting doing a bunk was serious business. “She’s that pissed off?”

“Well, yeah, your little stray turned down her offer to purchase his contract. She’s miffed. You know what her ego is like, she hates that kind of thing. Your man walked out, so she’s got no one else to take it out on, does she? If I were you, I’d lay low for awhile. Give her a couple of days. She’ll cool off.”

Worick nodded, it would probably go like that. He’d seen a similar pattern with other troublesome girls at the club. 

But none of them had willingly brought a Tag into the place. Into a place owned by Corsica.

Shit. He was kind of fucked. Where was he supposed to go? “Thanks for the head’s up. I guess I owe you a lot.”

“Throw in another fifty and I never saw you.”

Christ. At this point he wasn’t even going to have enough left to afford a full night in the shittiest flophouse. Worick grit his teeth and smiled. He pulled out the money and counted out another fifty. He dropped it on the table with a sigh, and a, “Thanks, hon. You’re a dear.”

He blew her a kiss as he headed out the door. 

#

Nic waited on the roof, watching for Worick. 

It was possible he’d have to go back in for him, but Nic would give him another fifteen minutes. If he didn’t see him by then, he’d cut his way back in if he had to. 

From his vantage point, Nic had watched Mama’s Normal bouncers struggle to get Mohawk out and barred. If Nic’s kick hadn’t dazed him, there would have been real trouble. When things had looked particularly dicey, Nic considered jumping in, despite everything. Tags like Mohawk just ended up causing hassle for everybody. Nic thought the Three Laws were Three Loads of Bullshit, but any time Strays did shit like this there was blowback for everybody. But, someone had waved a gun around and Mohawk slunk off into the shadows.

That had been five minutes ago. They’d be looking for Worick next. Nic didn’t know what would happen then, but he knew it wouldn’t be good for Worick. 

And, once again, it was all his fault.

He should have told Big Mama that Monroe owned him. He as good as, anyway, and Monroe could protect himself. Now she might go to the Guild to report Nic as a Stray, and they’d likely tell her the truth--that Worick had the contract. The problem with that, of course, was that the most efficient way to free up a contract was to kill the holder.

Considering what she thought of Tags in general, Nic doubted she’d think him worth the trouble of murder. But, Worick was entirely vulnerable. There were plenty of other ways to pressure a person into selling. 

Or exact revenge.

Or just be a shithead.

Because there was plenty of other trouble they could get into over this. One of Monroe’s snitches could tell Big Mama that she knew Nic worked for Monroe and then Big Mama could just take her complaint there….

Finally, Nic spotted Worick easing out an open window onto a fire escape. Worick worked his way down the ladder to the street level. Then, jumping the final distance onto a dumpster, he made the alley. Nic stayed where he was for the moment, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone following. 

Worick went a mile or so before beginning to meander. His feet slowed and lost focus as though now that he was away, he wasn’t sure where to go. He stopped and searched for his cigarette pack. Finding it empty, he leaned back against a wall as though defeated. 

Leaping down to join him on the street, Nic signed: _Smoke shop is that way_.

Worick only briefly looked surprised to see him and then smiled sadly. “Hell of a day, huh, partner?”

Nic nodded, because what else could he say? His day had started out pretty crappy, too.

Worick pushed off the wall and started walking in the direction Nic had indicated, even though it was so late at night they had almost no hope of finding the shop open. In this part of town, many of the street lights had been broken out. A few flickered weakly overhead. No one was on the streets, but they stuck to the backways, anyway.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Worick said. “I had to dig this out of hiding.” He lifted a small satchel in his hand. Actually, on second glance, it looked like a woman’s handbag. In the darkness it was hard to tell, but it might even have been bright pink. There was definitely a heart-shaped clasp in the center of it.

Nic couldn’t help but smile a little. _Your purse? I don’t really think it goes with your outfit_.

“I know, right?” Worick said with a little grimace, holding it up to his shirt and shaking his head. “I tried to boost one that matched my eyes, but do you know how hard it is to find a green quite that beautiful? The good news is that this has got in it your eighty-odd pills of Celebret, about a thousand in cash, and a chintzy-ass knife that will probably break the first time I try to use it. Plus a few other things I thought we might need some day.”

 _And it’s not at all conspicuous_. Nic teased. 

“Look, I figured I’d get myself a nice chiffon and hang out with a couple of my trans and cross-dressing friends,” Worick said. “I’ve got to lay low for a few days.”

 _You’re going to have to shave_ , Nic pointed out. _Bummer. I like how ticklish the beard is._

Worick’s breezy demeanor seemed to shatter at that. He blinked rapidly, his mouth hanging open but not forming any words. 

Nic signed quickly with a wry smile, _Too soon?_

Worick laughed. Then he looked a bit bashful, rubbing the back of his neck and said, “Yeah, no, I’m not going to be ready to talk about that whole thing any time soon.” Then, he glanced up serious, and a little hopeful. “Unless you are?”

Nic wasn’t sure what to say. Kissing Worick, especially that last passionate one, had been surprisingly hot, but what he’d really, really loved was holding him, stroking his hair, and lying close, snug up against his body. 

Besides, sex and Worick was a complicated thing because sex was his job, what he did for a paycheck. Nic wouldn’t mind having sex with Worick, but he wanted it to be something more than Worick just going through the motions. And what if he couldn’t do that, couldn’t stop from going pro? What if, in the middle of everything, Worick checked out, went distant, fake… empty?

If that was going to happen, it would be better if they didn’t at all.

For now they’d have to be content being something more than friends but less than lovers.

Worick was still watching him carefully, so Nic shrugged. _I’m withholding judgment until I see you in a dress. If you’re cute enough, we can date._

“Ha!” Worick laughed, giving Nic a light punch on the shoulder before wrapping his arm around him. “You’re doomed, my boy. I’m always cute. But I rock stiletto heels and tea-length skirts like nobody’s business. Just wait until you get a gander at my shapely calves. You won’t be able to say no. I’ll have you wrapped around my little finger.”

Nic smiled. He almost signed ‘I already am,’ but then decided to just stick out his tongue.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: I went back to "Celebrer" because it sounds like that's how it's being pronounced in the anime (which I'm watching subbed.)
> 
> In the manga, Worick uses the term 'tranny.' I just can't. What's funny about his usage to me is that it seems pretty clear in context that he's pansexual and that some of his favorite clients are trans. I'm chalking it up to cultural mistranslation, and so have him using more appropriate terms for what he means here.
> 
> Meanwhile, today's anime made me a little freaked out about the changes they've made to his character. 
> 
> Also, fans of my Bleach work will recognize an homage to Bazz-B here.


End file.
